Why Would I Be Sensitive To Something I Don’t Eat?

Sometimes a patient will have a reaction to a food, but upon questioning it is something they have had very little exposure to and maybe feel they have never eaten. If this is the case, how could they be having an antibody response? Once we have ruled out hidden sources in their diet, the next most likely explanation is that there is cross-reactivity. Cross-reactivity does not only happen from foods in the same food family, but also from things in the environment to foods as well. For example, someone who is reactive to beef, but is vegetarian, may have been bitten by a tick as there is cross-reactivity between beef immunoglobulins and tick antibodies. If one is sensitive to latex, you may also be sensitive to bananas as well, because they are in the same family. Cross-reactivity may explain many unusual reactions, and a complete list of cross-reactivity between foods and the environment, and food families can be found in our Physicians Guide to the P88 DAT.

– Dr. Cheryl Burdette, N.D.